


Wild Hearts

by Isylis



Category: To All the Boys I've Loved Before Series - Jenny Han, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Family moments, Foster Care, Graphic Description, Happy moments - Freeform, Mention of Death, Modern settings, Not too graphic but we can never be too careful, Out of character Peter for the beginning, Slow Build, They all need a hug, anger issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-06 15:53:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15889209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Isylis/pseuds/Isylis
Summary: She never envisioned her life like this, not in a million years but she wouldn't change it for the world now. At least for the most part. Her father started dating years after the death of his wife, their little family got a little bit bigger and everything fell into place. Everything fit together.Everything except for Peter Kavinsky.





	1. Whatever It Takes

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to comment, subscribe and leave some kudos, that would be amazing. Let me know what you think of this first chapter and if I should continue to write it or stop it altogether. Thank you !
> 
> English isn't my first language ( I'm French! ) and I don't have a Beta for this story, so I apologise in advance for the mistakes, there's probably lots of it but I'll try to fix as much as I can. If someone volunteers to help me out for this, I'd be really grateful though. 
> 
> Also I don't have a schedule when it comes to posting, it's mostly when inspiration strikes.
> 
> Chapter title is from the song Whatever it Takes by Imagine Dragons.

Lara Jean, the middle child of the original Song-Covey family, was baking some cookies in the family home kitchen, singing along some lyrics from the music playing on her phone when Trina Rothschild, her step-mother, came home from work. 

 

* * *

 

Lara Jean, along with Margot and Katherine ( Kitty for friends and family ), had lost their mother when they were little in a domestic accident. Their mother, Lucy Song-Covey, was cleaning the house when she slipped and hit her head on the corner of their kitchen table. It was Lara Jean who found her at the time, the image of her mother’s limp body laying on the floor, blood surrounding her skull, still fresh in her mind. 10 years after the accident, she still had vivid nightmares waking her up screaming in the middle of the night; they were a rare occurence but they still happened, leaving her sad and exhausted for the following few days. It was Daniel, her father, who found them next. Margot was hanging out at a friends house and Kitty was upstairs, napping, when the father of the three daughters came home to a wailing sound coming from the kitchen. When he arrived in the kitchen, his body froze for a second. Here, laying on the floor, in a small puddle of blood, was his wife. Her eyes were closed, she actually looked kind of peaceful as if she was just sleeping but he noticed quickly that she wasn’t breathing; Lara Jean was crouched right next to her, her pink dress and hands stained with something that could only be blood; crying her heart out, trying what looked like CPR just like her father taught her to, with no avail. She was already gone. Dan woke up from his stupor, running to his daughter and picking her up in his arms while she tried to hold on to her mother’s body. He felt tears streaming down his face but tried to focus on his young heartbroken and traumatised daughter.

\- Calm down honey, I’m here. I’m here, baby girl.  
\- But mom, she-

The following words were muffled, inaudibles. The little girl was hiding her face in her dad’s shirt. He let her cry on his shoulder, trying but mostly failing to talk to her to calm her. He search frantically for the phone, still holding his daughter when he heard the sirens outside.

\- You did good honey, you did all you had to do, he reassured her. I’m proud of you, he said through clenched teeth while holding his daughter for dear life.

It took years of therapy for Lara Jean, Kitty, Margot and Dan to overcome that loss. Lara Jean’s first healing therapy was books, it gave her mind some peace, her imagination knew no bounds and Dan was very proud of her. She was the most fragile and the most sensitive of the Song-Covey girl, she was also the one that resemble the most her lost mother. Her second healing therapy was baking. She used to bake a lot with her mother and those memories gave her something to hold on to, it made her feel close to her mother. LJ was a real and gentle soul and Dan asked himself everyday how his "little" girl could be so strong. She was such a ray of sunshine, she light up a room without even realising it and he knew she was the strongest soul of them all, including him. Everything would be just fine for Lara Jean Song-Covey, he was sure of it.

 

* * * 

 

\- Well, someone seems to be in a good mood, Trina smiled.

Trina was a great woman and Lara Jean was glad her father found someone after the death of her mom, they were all miserable for a long time before Mrs Rotschild became a permanent fixture in their lives. She was a 37 years old woman petite with long wavy brown hair, full lips, high cheekbones and grey eyes, Lara Jean found her absolutely gorgeous. She also had great style, most-likely inspired by Parisian ladies, she was also a lawyer, was kindness personified and she loved kids. Unfortunately, she never had the opportunity to have one kid of her own with her previous husband; she married him very young -21 !- but he never wanted children, 3 years later, when she went to see her gynaecologist - Who was also Lara Jean’s dad ! talk about awkward !-, he had to announce her she had endometriosis and it was the reason she felt this excruciating pain on the lower part of her belly from to time. It wasn’t actually the worst new he had to tell her, few months later, Dr Daniel Song-Covey discovered she had a tumor and, after some test to determine the nature of it, a surgery was needed to remove it but she would never be able to have children after that because they would also need to remove her ovaries. Her husband left her soon after that, she tried to focus on her job but it just didn’t work for her anymore, she just became really depressed and lost her job after a burnout. Things started to look up a little bit after that for her, she moved from her old house all away across town and bought the one across the street from the Song-Covey. She went around the neighbourhood, knocking on doors to introduce herself to her soon-to-be neighbours. When she knocked on the Song-Covey door, Daniel Song-Covey immediately recognised her and invited her inside the house to talk, he also introduced her to Margot, Katherine and Lara Jean. 

Out of the three sisters, Lara Jean was the most discreet and the shy one, she was mostly spending her time reading books and daydreaming. Margot was the older one, she was 3 years older than Lara Jean and she was also a very driven and fierceful person for a 19 year old, she had her life all planned up and nothing could change her mind when it was set on something. She was also the one who had the hardest time accepting Trina into their lives. Katerine, last but not least, while being the younger child, was also a force to be reckoned with, she was a 12 years old child who had a lot of opinions and a lot of energy and she was not afraid to speak her mind when something didn’t go her way.

\- I’m always in a good mood, Lara Jean smiled in return, they’re some stress-relief cookies actually. I’ve been hyper all day and I don’t know why ! And you know baking helps me calm my nerves so…  
\- Well, no one here is gonna complain about homemade cookies, Trina smiled, is Lucas already home ?

Lucas was one of the foster kid Trina and Daniel decided to welcome into the Song-Covey-Rotschild house, he was also 3 month older than Lara Jean and one of her only friend. Soon after she moved across the street and after her surgery, Trina decided to become a foster mom. It brought her a lot of joy and a new purpose in life. When she finally moved into the Song-Covey home ( after Margot left to study in France, 2 years ago ), her only condition before moving in was to keep being foster mom here. Of course, Daniel accepted without any hesitation, they both had big hearts full of love, it was a good thing they were sharing it with people who needed it. She decided she would not sell her house across the street yet, eventually, she wanted to rent it.

\- No, not yet, why ?

Lara Jean didn’t have many friends to hang out with, the few friends she had before Lucas ( and Christine ) used her then threw her away like she was just some trash. Genevieve, Justin and Hayley, that was their names. Her old so-called friends. Around the age of 14, Genevieve noticed boys starting to really look at her, discovered popularity and decided it was time to drop dead weights, and that included good ol’ Lara Jean. She also took the only friends Lara Jean had at the time. Lara Jean never understood why she was never good enough to be part of that group. Sure, she was quiet, shy and her favorite pastime was to read, she was a bit of a dork, in an endearing way. But what did she ever do to be treated like that, like she was insignificant ? It left her brokenhearted at the time. Even now, she still felt a pang in her chest when she thought about it. Fortunately, Christine -who was also Gen’s cousin!- heard what happened and came to Lara Jean’s rescue and became her friend. Before that, the two girls had already met but didn’t talk much, Lara Jean was timid and Genevieve didn’t like to share her « friends » with someone else, especially not Christine. Those two just tolerated each others when they were young but it turned into blaring hatred at the beginning of their high school career.

\- I need to talk to you both.

Right on cue, the front door opened and Lucas appeared few seconds later.

\- Hey, he said, smiling.  
\- Hey, Lara Jean and Trina answered at the same time.  
\- We need to have a little chat, Trina added.  
\- Sure, okay, he answered, we’re all ears, right Lara Jean ?!

Lara Jean nodded, stopping what she was doing to focus her attention on her step-mother.

\- We’re going to foster someone else, his name is Peter, we’ll go pick him up tomorrow.  
\- Oh, that’s great ! Lucas answered.  
\- I feel like there’s gonna be a « but » here ? Lara Jean responded.  
\- Well, it’s just that… From what the child services told me, it might not be easy. It’s his fifth foster home in less than a year.  
\- What ? I mean just because he’s not easy, people just like…  « return » him to sender ? Lucas answered. That’s bullshit !  
\- Hey hey, I know, Trina said, putting her hand on Lucas arm, rubbing it for good mesure for a few seconds, that’s what happen sometimes when people think fostering someone is easy and suddenly feel like they’re not equipped for this. I’m not trying to justify this attitude, I don’t condone it. I just hope Peter will feel at home eventually with us.  
\- Have you met him yet ? Lara Jean asked.  
\- No. We haven’t. He’s… we’ll pick him up tomorrow at the JDC.  
\- Juvenile Detention Center ?! He’s in juvie ? Lara Jeans yelled.

Lara Jean and Lucas shared a look. That was a first. 

\- That’s why I wanted to talk to you guys, especially you Lara Jean, because I wanted to know if you’d be fine with it. I know it could bring stressful situations and I don’t want you to feel upset. I don’t want you to be scared in your house, neither of you.  
\- Is he dangerous ? I mean, what about Kitty ? Could he be threat to her ? 

Lara Jean’s main concern was about her little sister. Kitty was only 12 years old, she couldn’t exactly defend herself against a-

\- And how old is he, again ? The young black-haired girl added.  
\- He’s 17, almost 18, he’ll most likely be a junior when he’ll go back to school though. He missed a lot of his classes and failed his last year, so he’s gonna have a fresh start in high school. I wanted to make sure you’ll be okay with me to request for him to be in your classes. And to answer your question, I don’t think he’s dangerous.  
\- You don’t think ? Trina ! Lara Jean yelled.  
\- From what the child services told me, he… did a few robberies, has a bit of a problem with authority that resulted in some kind of violent behaviour toward said authority.  
\- Did they say who ?  
\- His dad.  
\- He beat up his dad ?! Lucas yelled.

Lucas and Lara Jean looked at each others for a few seconds, gaping. Their attention was back to Trina when she started to talk again.

\- He has a younger brother, Owen. Peter was trying to make some money so he could… get back Owen. We don’t know what happened with his dad, he never said.  
\- It’s okay, Lara Jean answered, I get it. I think we get it, she said looking at Lucas for his approbation, he did it for his brother. I think everyone would do the same to save the family they love.

Trina smiled. 

\- Do you want to come with tomorrow ? We’ll pick him up at 4 P.M.  
\- Sure, I’ll come, Lara Jean answered while rubbing her hands on her apron.  
\- I can’t, I’m meeting Travis tomorrow afternoon, I mean I can cancel-  
\- No, don’t cancel your plans, Lucas, Trina smiled, you’ll see Peter at home.  
\- Do you know his name by any chance ? Lucas asked curiously.  
\- Peter Kavinsky.

Kavinsky ? Lara Jean asked herself. Why did she feel like she had already heard that name before ?

\- Did his family live close by, by any chance ?

Trina looked at Lara Jean, surprised.

\- Actually yes. I think his parents moved out when he was 11, but they used to live in the neighbourhood. Did you know him ?  
\- I don’t know, I feel like I heard that name before. But I can’t remember where or why.  
\- Maybe seeing him tomorrow will answer that question, she smiled.

Lara Jean nodded before starting to bake again.

\- Where’s the little heathens ? Lucas asked.  
\- In her room, most likely, answered the older woman.  
\- Is there a room ready for Peter ? Questioned the boy.  
\- Yeah, but there’s still some things to do. Come on, you can help me out ! Lara Jean, when you’re done, could you please go to buy a new blanket for Peter’s room ?  
\- But… I’d have to drive, she said horrified.  
\- Which is great because that’s practice, Trina said with two thumbs up.  
\- Sure, and hell is just a sauna, Lara Jean grumbled, defeated. 

Driving was one of her worst fears and Trina knew it so why she was putting her through that was beyond her. She silently prayed for her father to come home early to go buy the blanket.

He didn’t.


	2. Negative Space

The trip to go get Peter was about 35 minutes from their home by car if they took the highway, Lara Jean, Dan and Trina left around 3 PM in Dan’s jaguar. While on the way to get there, Lara Jean was starting to feel really nervous about the new addition to their family, she could feel her palms sweating and kept rubbing them on her pants to calm her nerves, she often got nervous when new people entered her life, her shyness was something she tried to work on but sometimes it was stronger and it got the best of her. She also didn’t expect to be the only child to come to pick him up, she thought her little sister Kitty would be by her side to welcome the new addition of their family but the younger Song-Covey girl seemed to have other plans with her friends that involved Channing Tatum and movies marathon. Kitty was four years younger and had more plans in a month vacation than what Lara Jean had had in a year, it was truly saying something about her social interactions or lack there of.

\- We’re here, Trina announced.

Lara Jean lifted her head and looked outside. The sky was gray today but it was nothing compared to the building standing before her eyes. It looked dark, plain and depressing, it also left her with a bad feeling in her stomach : the sooner they left, the better it would be. 

\- How do we do this ? What are we supposed to do ? Dan asked.  
\- Well, we go inside and I’ll meet with his probation officer while the two of you will have to wait in the corridor, I also have to meet with someone of the child care services.  
\- Probation agent ? Lara Jean asked while removing her belt. 

She grabbed her yellow and camel cardigan on the seat next to her and got out of the car. She looked at Trina expectantly, wondering why exactly Peter had a probation agent. 

\- That’s the law, honey. He has to have a probation officer, at least for the few months. I negotiated it for 6 months, it was supposed to be 15 at the beginning. He has to respect some terms, think of it at guiding lines. I saw the terms, they’re not as bad as we might think in the first place.  
\- Yeah but still, if he doesn’t follow them, he has to come back here, Lara Jean said while pointing a finger at the building, how is it not that bad ?

Trina smiled sadly, putting a hand on Lara Jean’s shoulder.

\- We’ll make sure it doesn’t happen, okay ?

Lara Jean nodded and looked at her father, she gave him a small smile that he returned and they all went inside. Daniel and Lara Jean waited for about an hour before Trina appeared with a petite woman, a man around 40 and a tall young man behind them. Trina shook hands with the older man and the woman before coming toward Dan and Lara Jean, Peter following her steps. Daniel and his daughter got up from their chairs and met them halfway.

\- Peter, let me introduce you to Daniel Covey, my husband and Lara Jean. I told you about them.

Lara Jean looked up and met his brown eyes, she realised she had seen them before, she was now sure of it. She knew Peter Kavinsky, or at least had already met him before but she couldn’t quite figure yet how and when she had met him. He was very tall, way taller than her, probably around 6 feet maybe more, he had a constellation of beauty marks on his face, a small scar on the left side just under his mouth, full eyebrows and curly brown hair. He was dressed with grey sneakers, kaki pants and a grey tee-shirt. He had a dark grey sweater in one hand and holding the strap of his backpack on the other to keep it firmly in place. Lara Jean could admit to herself that she found him very handsome. She gave him and shy smile, uncrossing her arms to reach out to him so they could shake hands. He looked at her for a moment then at her extended arm and finally let go of the strap of his backpack to shook her hand reluctantly, he slowly turned his body toward Daniel and did the same.

\- Peter Kavinsky, he offered simply. 

Lara Jean wanted to ask him if maybe he recognised her from somewhere but she refrained from that when she saw his closed-off expression. He really didn’t seem to be happy to be here, with them. She didn’t understand. Shouldn’t he be happy to get out of this place ? Sure, some adjustments would be necessary for him, but it was the same for all of them. Lara Jean swallowed nervously and spared a glance at her father for a second, he was busy communicating silently with Trina, a worried expression on his face.

\- So, she said in a trembling voice, how-how are you Peter ?

He angled his face toward her, his figure towering over hers, their eyes meeting again.

\- Fine, he answered. Can we go now ?

Now he sounded annoyed.

\- Rude, Lara Jean muttered for herself.  
\- Do you have all of your stuffs, Peter ? Trina questioned.  
\- Yup.

They followed him outside nervously, Dan had put his arm around his daughter’s shoulders, giving her a reassuring hug while holding hands with Trina. Once they reached the parking lot, Peter turned around, silently asking where the car was parked.  
Dr Covey pointed at the grey Jaguar to their left and Peter walked before them to the car. Once it was unlocked, Peter put his bag in the trunk and climbed quietly without waiting. The three of them still stood outside of the car, sharing nervous glances; they knew it wouldn’t have been easy but they were lost for a moment, trying to figure out how to talk to him. His carefree attitude was most-likely an act, they knew that, the problem was that it could stay that way for a long time if he decided he didn’t want to open up to them. Lara Jean was the next one to climb in back of the car, leaving room between her and Peter in the middle to drop her cardigan.

\- I’m fine too, by the way, she said without looking at him. 

She finally turned her face toward him few seconds later and he was looking at her, a slight smirk on his face. He snorted and looked outside right after that.

\- You don’t have to be rude, I didn’t do anything to you.  
\- Right now you’re talking. And it’s annoying, he answered matter-of-factly.

Lara Jean gaped at him, clearly shocked by the way he was talking to her. All she did was ask him how he was and that guy was telling her she was annoying ? She barely had said two sentences to him ! « Fine » she thought while crossing her arms « I won’t talk to him anymore, then ».  
Lara Jean looked at Trina and her dad talking animately outside, most likely about Peter and his attitude. She didn’t want them to fight about it, she knew her dad was probably upset about the way Peter acted toward her and not him, he was a bit overprotective when it came to Lara Jean. She knocked on the car window, trying to catch their attention and when they finally looked at her behind window, she gave them a reassuring smile and did a « come on » gesture with her hand. She would be fine, she had been put through worst than that, the little attitude Peter was giving her right now wasn't going to bring her down, if he wanted to ignore her then fine, she could do the same. 

Her dad and Trina finally got in the car and they drove back to their small town. The ride back home was quiet and awkward, Daniel and Trina didn’t talk, Peter and Lara Jean didn’t talk and no one had turned up the radio. Lara Jean had fortunately brought a book with her and decided reading was a great idea right now, the tension in the car was palpable and she really needed to put her mind at peace and forget she was here altogether, she didn’t notice Peter glancing from time to time at her during the ride, her mind too wrapped up into what she was reading. When they parked in the driveway, Kitty and Lucas were talking outside, sitting comfortably on the chairs on the house patio. They looked up when they saw the car and got up at the same time, a small welcoming smile on their faces.

Lara Jean was the first one to get out of the car, she looked at Kitty and Lucas rolling her eyes before turning back to pick her stuff and close the door. She didn’t look behind her to see what Peter, Trina or her dad were doing, she walked toward her friend and her little sister.

\- So ? Lucas asked expectantly.  
\- Don’t bother asking, she answered truthfully. If you’re looking for me, I’ll be in my room.

She left them behind while the two shared a look, patiently waiting for Daniel, Trina and Peter. Peter arrived in front of them next.

\- Hi, I’m Lucas.  
\- And I’m Katherine. Kitty to my friend, you, can call me Katherine.  
\- Peter, he answered nonchalantly without sparing them a glance.  
\- Wow, Katherine snorted, and they call me rude. I'll be in my room.

She turned her back and went back inside the house, her mind most likely already bored with the situation. Lucas smiled to himself, Katherine’s attitude might put her in trouble one day but he was glad she was not afraid to call people out on their bullshit when it was needed.

\- You know, Lucas said, you’re here for the long ride so… how about we make it bearable for everyone ?  
\- We’ll see about that, Peter answered while going straight for the house, his eyes crossing Lucas' for a second.

Lucas exhaled loudly, pretending to be annoyed but he understood the feeling, Peter was most likely lost and scared, that’s why he was hiding behind this «  don’t give a fuck » attitude. Going to a foster home was scary, meeting new people was scary. The feeling of belonging he felt here didn’t come before a few months. Before that, for a long time he felt like a stranger intruding on family moments, Peter would come around, they just had to give him time to get out of his shell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's the second chapter. Peter is finally in his new home. So, what did you guys think ? Don't worry, the attitude isn't forever, give him some time to adjust, he won't be OOC for a long time ;).  
> I know this story is really different from the book and the movie, but I wanted to go on another path with them ! 
> 
> Again, comments, kudos, subscribing and all are greatly appreciated, it keeps me motivated. I really hope you'll enjoy this story !
> 
> Also there's probably some mistakes, but English isn't my native tongue and I don't have a Beta for this story, so I'm really sorry if there's a lot of them!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, I'm hopping on the 'TOTBILB' bandwagon, I don't think I'm the only one who fell in love with Peter Kavinsky and Lara Jean while watching this movie. This story will be different from the book and the movie, I'll keep some elements but it's mostly a story of its own. You don't need to see the movie or read the book to read it. Also, people will maybe assume I watched " The Fosters" show with Noah, but I haven't yet and I really don't know a thing about fostering, I'll try to look things up on google as much as I can ( and maybe watch The Fosters ) but still, don't forget, it's just a story, don't take it too seriously. I know when you read the tags it doesn't look like a happy story but, there'll be happy moments ! I'm also a sucker for angst so there's probably gonna be lots of that... 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed your reading !


End file.
